Rediscovery
by h-h-han
Summary: A young woman from England has moved to work at the New York crime lab, but how will she behave when she's way out of her comfort zone? She needs to rediscover herself.. Danny/OC, maybe either Mac/Stella or Flack/Stella and others.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I know I already have a story in progress, but this was swimming in my head and I needed to type it out, so here it is.. I hope you enjoy it. It's kind of a birthday present to myself. Only 4 days left… Anyways, hope you enjoy! The only beta to this story is myself, so if I make any mistakes that I've missed, sorry. I'm going to reply to all reviews personally too, so please feel free. They're constructive and I feel they really help.

So here goes.

-han x

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with CSI. Except Summer, she's mine. I may add more O/Cs, but unless I say otherwise, I don't own anything.**

The night was musty, and a light mist hung in the air. There were no clouds in sight, and the twinkle of stars infected the sky. It was a beautiful night in England.

It was her last night in England.

London was always busy during the weekend evenings, and this Saturday night was no exception. People of all ages moved to and fro in the bustling streets from bars to clubs, and clubs to bars. The bar that was always bustling, and was one of the more popular bars in London, was Seventh Heaven. A small club, it was cosy, but everyone knew everyone and they were a family of regulars. It was a family business, but when their parents died, the older sister of the family decided to take the business and remake it as her own to prevent her sister from entering the fostering circle, and tried to provide the best life for the younger sister as she could, and she succeeded.

It was the fourth anniversary of their parents' death, and this day would also now be known as something else.

The day she left to chase new things.

The bar was packed, as always. The regulars all had their "own" places in the bar, and Tifa Lockhart always knew where to take the drinks, and what everyone had. It was like her own little family of sorts. She always served with a smile, but the smile was slightly crooked this evening, and for a good reason.

Her younger sister, Summer Lockhart, was leaving England to move to New York. Her university studies had been noted and she had gained some interest from a crime lab in New York, so she had accepted the position. She didn't accept it without giving it some thought first, however. She knew what she was leaving behind - her only family, her old life, her friends -- she was leaving her comfort zone. She approached her sister about the subject, half filled with sadness and worry on how her sister would cope without her, but also filled with the excitement of the small child within her, looking forward to exploring and discovering new places and meeting new people.

She had packed her cases, her books, and all her other possessions and they were to be shipped the day after she arrived in New York. Her apartment had the bare necessities, so she wasn't worried. Nevertheless, her sister was.

"Are you sure you're packed?" Tifa took a defensive stance over her sister, leaning slightly towards her, her hands on her hips.

"Yes mother, just don't worry!" Summer winked and grinned, earning herself a playful slap from her sister.

"Hey! That actually hurt," Summer yelped, rubbing her arm in an overly dramatic way. They both laughed, before Tifa pulled Summer into a bear hug.

"Umm…choking…"Summer gasped, before snuggling deeper into the embrace. They held like that for a few moments before one of the waitresses called Tifa from the bar.

"Come with me," Tifa winked, before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the bar. She pushed open the door into the bar and stood on a lightly raised area of floor behind the bar.

"Alright guys! It's that day again! The toast will be doubly special this year though, as our Summer will be leaving us in chase of greener pastures! Or she wishes." This obtained a few laughs from the bar.

"So here's to Mom and Dad, and here's to wishing Summer all the luck of Seventh Heaven! You guys with me?"

There was a roar erupting around the bar, with clinks of glasses and bottles, and good lucks being thrown at Summer. A huge grin erupted on her face, and it was contagious, because it had spread all round the bar.

"Right - drinks on me!" Tifa cheered, before nodding at all the waitresses, who started rapidly opening beer bottles.

"My sister, out in the big bad world by herself… who would've thought it?" Tifa whispered into the air, silently praying inside that her sister would be watched over by her parents in Heaven.

She glanced over at Summer, who had helped to distribute the beers out, and smiled.

The last day in her comfort zone.

The last day she would feel confident the way she was.

Because little did she know she would have to rediscover herself in New York.

Because people change.

And emotions change too.

But for the better or worse?


	2. Chapter 2

So here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I write for you guys. And it's another little present for me to see you guys happy.. Only three days until my birthday! So here goes. Hope you all enjoy, and keep following me. You're all amazing…

-han xo

Her surroundings were completely white. White as far as the eye could see. It was surreal. Surreal, but calming too. She was unsure as why she was there. She took a minute to calm herself before she realised she was standing back to back with someone. This person was slightly taller than her, and she had a sweet smell. She recognised it from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it..

The unknown voice gave a small giggle.

"_Why are you here?"_ the voice asked.

"I think… I'm scared of my future." Summer replied, looking down at her feet.

"_There is no point in worrying about your future. What happens, happens. It's beyond our -- your control."_

"But what if something happens in which I could never forgive myself?"

The voice gave out a small laugh.

"_The future has already been mapped out. We're just there to follow it. Embrace it, but fear it also. You need to believe in yourself… You will change, but you'll eventually find what you've been searching for."_

"I hope so.. Hey, who are you anyway?" Summer asked. It turned silent.

She slowly started to turn around, and…

--

"Uh, miss?

Summer woke up, and took her reading glasses off, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She rubbed her eyes slightly, before giving a slight smile and a nod to the flight attendant hovering over her shoulder.

"Sorry to disturb you, but are you Summer Lockhart?"

"That's me," Summer smiled, before unscrewing the cap to her bottle of water and taking a sip, letting the cool liquid drench her throat, refreshing her slightly.

"I have a phone call for you, from a… Detective Taylor?"

Summer sat upright, adjusting her t-shirt. She wore her favourite clothes on the plane trip: ultimate comfort. She wore a pair of dark jeans with a "Cookie Monster" Sesame Street t-shirt that her sister had brought for her many years back, which she had fallen in love with. She teamed it up with oversized chunky wooden and dark blue bangles, and let her curly hair cascade down her back.

She was confused about the phone call on the plane, and assumed it was from Detective Taylor to ensure that Summer had got on the plane okay.

"Um, if you could follow me please?" The flight attendant stood to one side, allowing Summer to slide out of her seat, and followed her to the front of the plane. She smiled, and took the phone from the flight attendant. She cleared her throat, and spoke.

"Hello… This is Summer Lockhart."

"Ah, Miss Lockhart. This is Detective Mac Taylor from the New York Crime Lab. I'll be your new boss. I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to see the lab beforehand, you could come in for a tour and familiarise yourself with the surroundings?"

"Please, call me Summer. It's lovely to finally talk to you. And I'm looking forward to coming to work at the lab; I've heard such wonderful things about it. But I don't mean to sound rude, but I'm still yet to unpack and my boxes of things aren't supposed to arrive in New York until a couple of days after I've arrived myself, so I really want to get settled in and sort myself out before I start to explore the surroundings."

She smiled, and ran her bangle-clad arm through her hair, causing a clacking sound as they banged together.

"That's no problem. I've got you down as due to start work next Monday. Will that be adequate time for you to unpack and settle into your new apartment?"

Summer calculated in her head. It was Thursday now, so her things would arrive on Saturday, which would give her a couple days of jetlag recovery, and then she could unpack, and have a rest day on Sunday and check out the nightlife.

"That's perfect; I look forward to seeing you then." Summer smiled.

"Okay then. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your flight." The call ended.

She graciously thanked the flight attendant, before moving back to her seat, before taking another sip of her water, sliding her glasses on, and immersing herself in her book.

"_Good afternoon everyone. This is your pilot speaking. Just to let you know that we have an average journey time of two hours remaining before our arrival in New York."_

Two hours.

Before her new life started.

Her own story.

Her new life.

--

**I hope this chapter was enough to make you happy. A big thank you to my reviewers, lilymoonlight and magdalene82! You guys made my day so thank you very much! And thanks for reading.. This story is going to have it's share of angst, that's for sure.. xo**


	3. Chapter 3

So here's the next chapter for you guys. I thought I'd post this to hide from doing the hoovering around the house before my family turn up for my birthday tomorrow… I think I might update tomorrow too, as sort of my birthday present to you guys… Now, this chapter is where our Summer meets a certain character in the halls of her new apartment block that we all know, but she doesn't quite yet.. So enjoy!

-han xo

How she did it, the taxi driver didn't know. She managed to drag six or so suitcases at the same time up the small flight of apartment steps to the doors. And with the suitcases being of varying shapes and sizes, it made the job all the more difficult.

"I knew I shouldn't have gone with the boots," Summer sighed. She looked down at her feet and wiggled them slightly. She wore her favourite pair of boots that her best friend Isabella has given her about a year or so again, and she'd become inseparable to them. They had quite a tall heel though, which put a barrier on doing certain practical things - like dragging suitcases up flights of steps wet by the previous rainfall.

She brushed her hair out of her eyes that was accompanied by the familiar clack of bangles, and smiled. She looked up at her new home.

"This is it. My new life." She smiled slightly, but paused. Her new life - that sounded so… strange. She felt a pang of guilt for leaving Tifa and the bar behind, but she knew deep down that she couldn't always have stayed there. It was for the best.

She opened and held open the door for herself as she pulled all her suitcases through the door into the lobby of the apartment block. She looked at the piece of paper, adorned with the details that she'd been given over the phone, with her apartment room and floor.

_Apartment number 312, floor 3._

"Right, okay. Should be easy." Summer looked around, and spotted an elevator. She wheeled her cases over, and pressed the button.

And again.

And again.

A voice from behind her made her jump.

"Sorry, little missy. Elevator's out I'm afraid. Will be for a couple days until I can get it fixed," a janitor said.

"Ugh, just my luck," Summer muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something ma'am?" The janitor asked with a curt smile.

Summer looked directly at the man, and smiled.

"No, nothing." She pushed her hair out of her eyes, and started to wheel her suitcases toward the flight of stairs.

"This is your punishment for me wearing these heels isn't it Dad? You never liked me wearing high shoes!" Summer said to herself, before letting out a small giggle. She started to lift her suitcases up the stairs, one by one.

--

"My poor feet," Summer said, with a slight whimper in her voice. Six flights of stairs and many retrievals of suitcases falling down stairs later, she had reached her floor. She was now wheeling her cases along the apartment hallway, looking for 312.

"307, 309, 311..." Summer muttered to herself. She looked over the other side of the hallway opposite to 311.

"312! Finally," Summer smiled to herself. She put all her suitcase handles down, and observed her hands. They were all red and warm. She sighed, and blew some air on them to try and calm them down slightly, before turning to her door.

Summer noticed an envelope resting on the door handle of the apartment. Realising it said her name on it, she observed it carefully, then span it round, and started to open it. A key and a small piece of paper fell out. She unfolded the paper, and read it.

_Welcome to the apartment. I'll pop by later to see that you're okay and you have no problems. Feel free to find me if you need anything - I'm situated on the first floor._

_--Kevin Ackley, Apartment Manager_

"Aww, how sweet," Summer smiled. She placed the envelope on one of the suitcases after retrieving the key, and placed it in the door. She pushed the door to open it, but just hurt her shoulder.

"Ouch!" She said, rubbing her shoulder. She turned and returned the key and pushed the handle down, but nothing. She tried for about five minutes, before giving up. She turned and put her back against the door, before sliding down and sitting on the floor, legs outstretched.

"You rest now, poor feet," Summer muttered. She put her head back on the door, and ran a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes. She heard a door open, but chose to ignore it, and kept her eyes closed.

"Woah! Who's been makin' suitcase forts and not telling me again?" a male voice questioned.

Summer opened her eyes, and looked up at the man. He had messy blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore glasses.

She held her bangled arm up, causing the clacking noise.

"That would be me," she smiled. The man extended a hand out, and her bangle-clad arm grabbed it, and pulled herself up.

"Thanks," Summer smiled, before brushing herself down.

"Problems with your apartment door then, or is the hallway your new place? Because I think you can do better," the man said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"The door's stuck I think. Either that, or I'm weak." She smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Nah, this door's always been stiff. You gotta jiggle the key, and then kinda, shoulder into it. Like so."

The man turned the key, wiggling it slightly, before banging into it with his shoulder. The door opened, and Summer was amazed.

She turned to the man with a bemused look.

"Jiggle the key?" She asked, with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, you'll be sleeping out here!" The man laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. The name's Summer." She smiled, and extended her hand.

"The name's Danny," the man smiled.

"Well, I'll see you around, Danny. And thank you for all your help," Summer smiled, before wheeling her cases into her new apartment and shutting the door behind her.

--

**So, they've met. But Summer doesn't know that her neighbour is her new work colleague! I wonder how that will fare on her first day… As always, I want to say a huge thanks to my reviewers - lilymoonlight, AspenLeFay, numba1CSIlover, and iuvcsi4ever! You guys are the cheese to my…cake? You guys make my day, so thank you! And thank you to everyone else for reading… I hope this chapter whet your appetite.. I'll post the big birthday update tomorrow! xo**


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, so as promised, here's a mega-uber-epic birthday update for me! My present to you guys! And I thought as I'm celebrating my birthday today, we'd also follow and celebrate or try Summer's first birthday in New York. I planned to write this later, but I swear to God I'm going to be sleep-typing subconsciously unless I get this out. A big thank you to everyone who has sent me birthday wishes - you've made me really happy and I'm so happy to know you're following my story, so count that your present to me._

_Oh, and I apologise in advance for any mistakes in the following two chapters - my eyes are tired from all the birthdaying about, so I could only do my best!_

_So on with the celebrations!_

_-han xo_

_--_

_It was Monday, and 8AM. The smell of floral shampoo wafted throughout the apartment, followed by a whirlwind which appeared to be Summer. She was racing to and fro, double and triple checking that she'd packed her bag with all the necessities - iPhone, basic make-up, notepad and pen, mints, plasters, and a packet of tissues. She'd been thoughtful and decided to take a spare change of clothes in case anything happened to the ones she'd been wearing at work._

"_Goddamn it! Where is my other shoe?" Summer searched frantically for her other shoe. Her boxes had been delayed for another two days, which made her angry as she didn't have the things she needed to get ready in the morning, so had to make do what she'd brought with her in the carry on. She'd put the minimal amount of makeup on as she was working, and a emerald green round necked top matched with a black jacket. She also chose to wear black trousers and decided against the boots for today, opting for a pair of flat ballet-like pumps. She wore one glass bangle that had been the first one she'd ever owned from her mother, so it was special to her._

_All of a sudden, she stopped. She heard a ringing of her phone's alarm coming from her bag and opened it to retrieve it. She pressed the button, and a message popped up:_

_8:13am. Happy Birthday Me!_

"Huh. Happy birthday indeed," she sighed to herself. She sat down on the chair closest to herself, and looked into the air.

"I miss you Tifa." This would be the first birthday away from her for the whole of her life. Who would she share it with? She hadn't even met her new colleagues yet, so who would she be able to celebrate with?

She sighed, and placed her phone back in her bag, reshipping it up after herself. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, before grabbing her coat hanger on which her spare set of clothes hung and her bag, opening the door and locking it behind her.

This was going to be a long day.

--

She leant into the window of the cab and paid the driver.

"Have a nice day," he said.

"I hope I do," Summer whispered after he had drove off. She turned round, and gasped in awe. The building was a lot larger than she had anticipated. She took a couple of steps back and took in the full size of the building. It had to be over forty floors tall, and the glassy exterior reflected the morning sun's rays beautifully around to the other buildings. She admired the sight for a short while, before moving to the front lobby. She walked up the reception.

"Good morning, miss; how may I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Um, good morning. I'm looking for Detective Mac Taylor?"

"Ah, you must be Summer Lockhart. Detective Taylor said he was expecting you. Unfortunately he's understaffed this morning so he's had to go out to a scene, but you will be able to meet him there later. To show you around, you'll need to look for a Detective Bonasera. She's on the 20th floor, as is the Crime Lab."

"Thankyou very much, you've been very helpful," Summer gave a curt nod, and turned away from the desk, heading toward the elevator. She pushed the button for 20, and the doors closed behind her.

_1...2...3..._

_Oh God. What if they don't like me? What if I'm not qualified enough for the job?_

_4...5...6..._

_Or what if I mess up on the first day? Or upset someone?_

_7...8...9..._

_I hope to God something bad doesn't happen.._

_10...11...12..._

_And on my birthday too! What if I kill or seriously injure someone? The birthday/death day of someone I killed. Great…_

_13...14...15..._

_God, pull yourself together, Sum. You're a wreck and you've not even started yet._

_16...17...18..._

_Positive thoughts. Think positively and nothing will go wrong._

_19...20..._

_God Tifa, why can't you be here when I need you most?_

The doors to the elevator opened, and Summer stepped out of the elevator, observing her new workplace. All the offices and labs were glass walled, and the working mood seemed to be pleasant. She looked around for the moment, before realising she didn't know who she was looking for. She stopped a young woman just before she entered the elevator.

"Excuse me… I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you know where I can find Detective Bonasera?"

The young girl smiled. "Yes. Stella's over in that office over there," the young woman pointed over Summer's shoulder to a woman sitting at a desk with her head in paperwork.

"If you're looking for Stella, that must mean you're Summer Lockhart, the new girl, right?" the young woman asked.

_New girl. God, that sounds strange._

"That'd be me," Summer offered a curt smile. "And you are?"

"Monta-- Monroe. Lindsay Monroe," the woman smiled, and offered out her hand. Summer shook her hand back, and smiled.

"You'd better hurry though - we're seriously understaffed and I think Stella's been looking for an excuse to take a break from her paperwork for a while now."

Summer laughed, and bid goodbye to the young woman, before walking into the direction of Stella's office. She knocked three times, before the detective looked up, and motioned for her to come in.

"Excuse me, but are you Detective Bonasera?" Summer asked.

"Stella. It's Stella, please. And you must be Summer Lockhart, right?" Stella asked, rising from her seat.

"That's me," Summer smiled. Her arm was tiring now from holding the coat hanger, but she tried to prevent her arm from drooping.

"Well, welcome to the New York Crime Lab. I'll show you a guided tour later, but as we're understaffed, Mac requested your presence at the crime scene as soon as you arrived, after you'd settled in and we've sorted a locker for you out."

"Sounds great," Summer smiled. Stella led her out of her office, and down a corridor to a locker room. She dug her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a locker key. She handed it to Summer.

"Your new locker. It has your kit and vest in there. Your kit's fully stocked, ready to go. And once you're ready, Detective Flack said he would take you to the crime scene, as he has to head there anyway.

"Okay, thankyou very much," Summer smiled.

"If you have any problems, give me a shout," Stella smiled, before heading out of the locker room. Summer placed her bag and the hanger on the locker room bench, before taking her jacket off, and opening the locker using the key that Stella had given her. She pulled her vest and kit out, before sliding on the vest. She hung her jacket that she'd previously been wearing up, and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. She placed her coat hanger with her clothes on into her locker, and pulling out her iPhone from her bag, before locking the locker behind her, and sitting on the bench. She unlocked her phone, and clicked on "inbox".

_Your inbox is empty._

"Happy birthday indeed," Summer sighed. She placed her head into her hands and sat there, motionless.

"First days are a bitch, aren't they?" a male voice questioned. She looked up to see a young man dressed in a suit and tie, with black hair.

"I haven't even started yet, and I already feel like crap," Summer smiled, twisting the bangle around her wrist.

"Are you Summer Lockhart?" the young man asked.

"Mmhm. And I'm assuming you're Detective Flack?"

"I see why you're a detective, hey?" the man smiled.

"Something like that," she smiled.

"So are you ready to go?" Flack asked. Summer rose to her feet, before grabbing her kit.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she smiled.

--

The car was driving on what seemed to be continuous road. Summer rested her arm on the windowpane of the car, twisting the bangle around her arm. Flack was driving the car. The only sound was the radio stations playing country music.

"What I wouldn't give for a home radio station," Summer sighed.

Flack laughed.

"Well, you're most likely to find Hillbilly FM down here most of the time, so you have to make do, ya know?" Flack smiled.

Summer smiled, and nodded slightly.

"So, where ya from?" Flack asked.

Summer sat back into her chair and moved her fringe from her eyes.

"I moved from London. I lived with my sister Tifa when my parents died and I helped her run the family business, Seventh Heaven. It's a bar. It's quite a nice little bar actually, because the same people come in all the time so it's like a little family of sorts."

"Sounds nice," Flack said. "I'm sorry 'bout your parents though."

"It wasn't your fault." Summer said, shaking her head.

"Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"Not at all," Summer began.

"I was sixteen, so that made Tifa eighteen. Our parents went across the world for their 20th wedding anniversary, but the cruise they were on was held up. From what investigators could make it, my dad was shot by the guys who had held the boat up whilst trying to protect my mother from being hurt. But they shot him, and her too." A single tear fell down her cheek, in silence.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset," Flack said, looking over at her.

"No, no -- it's okay, really." Summer gave a weak smile, furiously wiping at her cheek.

"We're here," Flack said quietly, before pausing for a few moments.

"You want a second?" He asked, turning towards her.

"No. I'll have to go out sometime; better late than never, right?" 

Summer said, before reaching back, and grabbing her kit from the back seat. She opened her door, and closed it behind her.

"Oh, and thankyou for the lift." Summer gave a slight nod towards Flack, and heading towards where the activity seemed to be centred.

--

"Summer Lockhart. We finally meet," Mac Taylor smiled.

Summer placed her kit on the ground, and extended her hand, shaking Mac's.

"The pleasure is all mine, Detective Taylor."

"Please, no detectives, no sirs, just Mac." 

"Okay then." She smiled, and bent down to get a closer look at the vic, placing her latex gloves on as she studied the positioning of everything around the scene.

"Unfortunately our time will have to be cut short; I forgot to sign some paperwork so I have to return back to the lab. But Detective Messer will be accompanying you on this scene. I'll see you back at the lab," Mac gave a slight nod, and headed towards his car.

Summer smiled, and returned her gaze towards the vic. She was staring with intent at everything she could see - piecing together everything she could thing of. She was pulled out of her thoughts by an oddly familiar voice.

"I thought it couldn't be a coincidence."

Summer turned around, and was greeted by the sight of Danny Messer.

"Danny! So you're a CSI too, huh?" Summer grinned. She felt happy to see someone that she knew, even if she didn't know him all that well.

"And you're the new girl. I heard Flack gave you a lift over; did he give you that talk about all the radio stations being Hillbilly Central and there's no other channels? Because it's all lies. He's a country girl deep down."

Summer laughed.

"What are you insinuating about Flack, Danny?"

"Nothing that he doesn't already insinuate himself."

Summer had by now entered into a fit of laughter. Between laughing, she managed to get out, "Could we please get on with the scene now?"

"Sure. You wanna do the walk around?"

"Um. Sure." Summer stood up, and studied the area for a few moments.

"Well, looking at the vic's arm," Summer held up the arm and pointed at the wrist, touching it slightly, "she was taped at some point. Adhesive residue. And the dirt directly over her clothes and her positioning shows that she was most probably just pushed out of the boot of the car, and then the car sped off at high speeds, explaining the deepened tyre tracks over there, and the dirt directly over her clothes."

"Wow, not bad for a new girl. But I'm afraid you're needed at the lab - I want you to be there for COD and autopsy and to run this evidence that I've already collected. You okay with that?" Danny asked, extending a brown bag filled with evidence envelopes.

"Yep. No problem," Summer smiled.

"Good. Officer Jenkins over there said he'd give ya a lift back to the Crime Lab. Don't worry; he don't bite or anything."

"Thanks for the reassurance, Danny." Summer smiled, before picking up her kit, giving a slight wave, and heading towards the officer Danny had pointed out to her.

--

After arriving at the lab, Summer put on a lab coat, and went directly into the evidence processing room. She pulled out the evidence envelopes one by one, and opened the first one. She pulled out a strand of hair with tweezers, and laid it onto a glass plate, before moving it under the microscope. She pressed the button for the light, but it didn't work. She pressed it again, but still nothing.

"Huh. Must be broken," Summer said.

"Nah, it's just temperamental. You have to hold it in for a few seconds sometimes." The man reached over to the microscope, and held the button for a few seconds, before pressing it.

"And voila."

"Thankyou very much," Summer smiled at the man's kindness.

"No problem. Are you new? I haven't seen you around before."

"Oh, sorry. How rude of me," Summer sighed. "Summer Lockhart.

"Sheldon Hawkes. But everyone just calls me Hawkes," he smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you," Summer smiled.

"Likewise," Hawkes smiled. Summer nodded, before returning her attention to the evidence under the microscope.

--

**So I didn't realise how much I typed… I've had to split this up into two chapters! I'm going to mention a big thanks to my reviewers, numba1CSIlover, AspenLeFay, and iluvcsi4ever! They're all great and I gladly share my birthday cake with them! **


	5. Chapter 5

_Early evening - 6pm_

Hours of DNA processing, evidence collecting and interrogating later, the case has been closed. The case had ended up being a robbery going wrong, with the burglar panicking and killing the young woman as a panic response. Nothing to it.

To celebrate Summer's first day being completed, all the team were sitting in the break room. They had all ordered pizza and decided to use this free time to catch up on the latest developments in their life, and get to know about Summer. Summer had told them all about her past, her parents being killed, that she was raised by her bigger sister, and that she felt guilty for leaving her only family behind. They had all offered sympathetic words, before they started their own little conversations. Summer smiled, and sat back in one of the chairs in the break room, leafing through a magazine with little interest.

"Woah, Messer. Check out that girl over there." Flack started.

"Do ya ever give it a break Flack?" Messer laughed.

"Not when they look like that, no." Flack pointed to a young blonde woman looking around the lab as if looking for someone. She had long straight hair, and wore a casual blue t-shirt with a dangling necklace, some jeans, and a pair of flat shoes.

"Woah. She is pre-tty nice," Messer replied, staring at the girl.

"Cut it out, guys," Lindsay started, playfully nudging Flack in the arm.

"Hey! It's not a crime to look. And you gotta admit, she's pretty," Flack said to Lindsay. At this point, Summer had started to send some e-mails to Tifa on her iPhone, smiling at the past ones she'd received from her and saved, just for the sentimental value.

"Well, she is pretty I guess," Lindsay started.

"What do you think, Summer?" Lindsay finished.

"Hmm?" Summer looked up from her phone, and followed the boy's point to a girl standing outside. Summer stopped, and gaped.

"Oh my God." She put her phone down on the magazine she had been reading, and walked very quickly towards the break room door. She pulled it open, and the young woman looked over to where the noise was coming from.

"Isabella? Is that you?" Summer asked, a smile playing on her face.

"Summer!" The girl screamed, running over to Summer and embracing her in a deep hug.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Summer asked, nearly crying with happiness. She held her friend at arm's length.

"I'm your birthday present! Happy birthday!" Isabella smiled, before entering into another hug.

"I'm here to help you celebrate, too. You didn't think the tradition would stop just because we're on opposite sides of the world, did you?"

"I didn't honestly know," Summer smiled. Before she could say any more, a huge gift bag was thrust to her.

"I didn't know if you'd have any clothes, so I went and brought you this as another sort of present. Open it."

"What? Here?" Summer laughed.

"Yes yes! Now!" Isabella laughed, before placing the bag on a nearby desk. She perched on the end of it, and Summer sat in a nearby chair. She pulled open the large gift bag, and pulled out a light blue shirt, a grey waistcoat, and dark blue jeans.

"Isabella, they're beautiful. Thankyou so much."

"That's not just it. Tifa sent two bangles. For your collection, you know? And… I got you these, too." She pulled out a shoe box from a bag she had, and handed it to Summer. Summer pulled off the box lid, and placed it on the desk, before unravelling the tissue paper from around the boots.

"OHMYGOD. NEW BOOTS!" Summer screamed, confusing a few of the near lab techs. Isabella at the point burst into laughter, closely followed by Summer. She collected all her things up, and put them in a neat pile.

"So is there anywhere you can get changed here? I want to start drinks as soon as possible," Isabella winked.

"Yeah, there's a locker room. Give me a second; I just need to go tell the guys." Summer smiled, before walking back towards the break room.

She pushed open the glass door, and walked into the room. The room was silent now, possibly because the group were still intrigued as to what just happened.

"Um, sorry guys, but would you mind if I skipped the pizza? Isabella, my best friend, she's flown from London to cel-- um, have some drinks," Summer lied.

"Sure," Stella smiled. "Have fun, kiddo."

"Thankyou," Summer smiled. She gave a slight wave, before returning back to her friend's presence, and leading her to the locker room.

--

"So they're best friends, huh?" Flack said.

"Hm. But I'm sure she was going to say something else before she said going for drinks. Anyone else catch that?" Lindsay asked. The rest of the group just shrugged, and returned to their conversations, until they were disturbed by the ringing of a phone.

_And it looks like daylight__'__s_

_Gonna catch me up again_

_Most people like getting up_

_When I__'__m just getting in_

_And oh, it__'__s the only only time, say_

_It__'__s the only time when I can unwind_

Stella pointed to the phone resting on the open magazine.

"I think it's Summer's," she said.

Now, when Summer lost her phone, she lost it spectacularly, whether it be behind the tub of butter in the fridge, or resting on top of the toaster. So she had a special system where she had her phone on loud speakerphone to hear messages if it was overly important. And this was important.

"_Ack, little sis! What a day to lose your phone!__"___Tifa shouted over the phone.

"_Plan B, boys! No Bernie, you can put the banner down now; we__'__re not going video as planned. Right. Let__'__s try this again. Right. Okay. So sister, seeing as you__'__ve lost your phone, we__'__ll do this differently. Given that I have people holding up banners at eleven at night. But yes. So after three guys, ready? Right okay__…__ One__…__ Two__…__ Three!__"_

"_**H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y S U M M E R!**__**"**___

A roar erupted from all around the bar, and Tifa laughed loud.

"_Good works guys! Free drinks on me!__"_Tifa cheered.

"_So, sis__…__ Hope that pleased you. I hope you__'__re having a good first day and your birthday__'__s going well. I hope that Isabella got there too alright; that__'__s my present to you. And the bangles, too. Mum wanted me to give you one for every year, but seeing as you__'__ve made such a huge step, I thought two would show that. Happy birthday, little sis. I miss you lots. And so does everyone here. Love you. Talk soon!__"_Tifa laughed, before the call cut off.

"It's her birthday?" Stella asked.

"I didn't know 'nothing bout it," Flack asked.

"Me neither," Danny answered.

"Nor me," Lindsay sighed.

"That makes all of us then," Mac replied. He looked up to see Summer standing at the door. She had put her new clothes on: her light blue long sleeved shirt with her grey waistcoat, dangling necklace, her three bangles, dark blue jeans, and flat pumps. She had taken her hair down from a high ponytail and allowed her brown curls to tumble down her back. She moved her hair from her eyes with a familiar sound of the clacking of bangles.

"Hey guys, have you seen my phone?" Summer asked. Stella pointed to where her phone was lying, and Summer went over to retrieve it.

"Thankyou guys. Have fun!" Summer smiled, before walking out to her friend, and wrapping her arm around her, walking towards the exit.

"Happy birthday," Stella sighed.

--

**I still have much to write about the birthday celebration, but I hope this has been enough to last you for now.. Like I said, I can't thankyou enough to everyone who has stuck with me and reviewed so far… You're all amazing and give me the confidence I need to write this. Thankyou so much!**


End file.
